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Abstract

This thesis, Redefining Urban Life: A Comparative Analysis of Livability between Mid-Rise Courtyard Housing and High-Rise Residential Towers, examines how livability—defined through affordability, accessibility, and habitability—can be reimagined in contemporary urban housing. While high-rise towers dominate residential development in both China and Canada, their limitations prompted a comparative exploration of European mid-rise courtyard housing precedents to establish design benchmarks. Building on these insights, the research proposes an alternative mid-rise courtyard housing design for a real site in the Brentwood neighborhood of Burnaby, currently occupied by three high-rise towers. The central analysis compares the proposed mid-rise design with the existing towers, demonstrating that courtyard housing can achieve greater affordability through development strategies and reduced construction costs, stronger accessibility through improved circulation and shared public services, and enhanced habitability through daylight and cross ventilation. The study concludes that mid-rise courtyard housing provides a more livable alternative to high-rise models, achieving clear advantages in affordability, accessibility, and habitability.